Enter With Thanksgiving
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
Psalm 100 is only five verses long, but it tells us how to come into God’s presence. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.”
Notice where thanksgiving begins. It begins at the gate. Before the psalmist says anything about what we need from God, he tells us to thank Him. I have to be honest: so many of my prayers start with a list of requests. This psalm teaches me to start with gratitude.
And it gives us reasons. “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” We did not make ourselves, and we do not keep ourselves. We belong to Him.
Then the psalm closes with three things that never change: “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Your week may have had a hard Monday and a harder Tuesday, but none of those three things moved. That settles me every time I read it.
I am thankful that even on a day when I cannot see much to be thankful for in my circumstances, I can always be thankful for my God. He is good, His mercy has no end, and His truth has not changed.
Before you bring your requests to the Lord today, come in through the gate with thanksgiving.
Before you ask the Lord for anything today, spend the first few minutes of your prayer only thanking Him. Name at least five things He has done for you.
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." — John 14:1
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This Week's Radio Program
Week Eighteen • May 3, 2026
Trusting God With Tomorrow (Pt. 3)
In this final part of the message, “Trusting God with Tomorrow,” we are brought face to face with a powerful truth from Scripture—while we often plan our days and assume the future, the Bible teaches us that life is fragile, uncertain, and completely in God’s hands. As James reminds us, our life is “even a vapour” that appears for a little time and then vanishes away . The issue is not planning, but planning without God—living as though we are in control of what only God knows.
This message walks through the heart of biblical trust: having a proper perspective of tomorrow, a humble posture before God today, and a surrendered plan that says, “If the Lord will.” Whether facing uncertainty, fear, or the illusion of control, we are called to draw near to God, rest in His care, and trust that His will is good, even when tomorrow is unknown. Because Christ has risen, our future is secure—not in our plans, but in His perfect hands.
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